Bring the Power of the Sun to Your Home

Are you concerned about the increasing price of energy? Are your growing electrical needs
resulting in steep hydro bills?
Youre not alone. In response to the ever-increasing energy demands of modern life, people are
turning to new sources of energy for their homes; sources that can be sustainable,
environmentally friendly, and economical. Solar energy is not only a clean source of energy but
also a great way to add value to your home.
This document is provided on behalf of Sunshine Coast Community Solar Association (SCCSA) to
familiarize homeowners like you with the potential benefits and challenges of adding solar
energy to your property. It will provide:
1. Guidelines to check if your home is suitable for solar installation.
2. An introduction about the components of a solar energy system and their individual

functions.
3. The feasibility of using solar energy in our particular climate.

What is Solar Energy?

Solar energy is simply the energy harnessed from the Sun. Sunlight provides a large amount of
light and heat, which can be used to produce electricity.i

Benefits of Solar Energy

We can approach the benefits of solar energy in two different aspects: environmental and
financial.
Environmental Benefits

Solar energy is clean. While coal, oil and gas are responsible for most of the air pollution in the
world, solar power produces no by-products and can help reduce overall carbon dioxide
emissions.ii
Solar panels make no noise when converting the suns energy into electricity.iii
Solar energy is renewable and sustainable.iv

Financial Benefits

Solar energy may help you cut the price of electricity in long term by keeping the price of your
household electricity bills fixed despite the increasing price of electricity in the future.v
Solar energy can add 3-4% more value to your home, and properties with solar installations tend
to sell faster than those without.vi

Shortcomings of Solar Energy

Like all other sources of energy, solar energy has some shortcomings as well. Again, we can
approach the shortcomings in environmental and financial perspectives.
Environmental shortcomings

Solar energy cannot be obtained at night, and is less effective in cloudy or stormy weather.
If the amount of panels in the system is insufficient (depending on roof size, layout, slope etc.),
they cannot produce 100% of the power your home consumes, acting as a supplement for other
forms of energy instead.
However, houses that are more adequately equipped can actually produce a net surplus
of electricity over the course of year. Since this excess energy is diverted back into the
grid, these homeowners effectively sell their energy back to the electric provider,
reducing their electricity bills.vii

Financial shortcomings

Installation of solar panels is costly at the beginning. It is an investment that may pay itself off in
a number of years (may be as long as 20-30) depending on the average output of the system.

Is My Home Ready for Solar?

To find out if your home could be compatible for solar energy, there are 5 essential questions
to ask:
1. What direction does your roof face?

Since we live in the northern hemisphere, your solar panels will be most efficient if they are
facing towards the south.
Your roof does not have to face this direction precisely, but the closer it is to true south the
better.
Look up your property address on Google Maps if the outline of your property roof is
perpendicular to the side of your screen, its facing true south.

2. How much of your roof is exposed to sunlight?

The amount of shade on your roof impacts how much power your panels will generate.
Shade can come from a number of sources, including trees around your house, your chimney,
and other buildings.
Adjustments to trees can be performed if necessary. Consult a professional installer to find out
exactly how much the shade on your roof will affect the output of your panels.

3. What is the size and shape of your roof?

The larger your roof, the better.

Flat roofs (or those with shallower slopes) are generally more efficient as distribution of sunlight
is more even throughout the day.
Dormers and skylights decrease the amount of usable area on your roof, but are easily worked
around.
For each kilowatt of your system size, you will need about 100 square feet of roof area available.

4. How sloped is your roof?

The best angle for power generation is between 30 and 40 degrees. While flat roofs are
perfectly fine for installing solar, the minimum angle required for self-cleaning panels is 15
degrees.
Any angle more than 40 degrees is too steep for the panels to be efficient. For these roofs,
special racking will be required to adjust the angle of the panels.

5. How old is your roof?

Solar panels last 25-40 years, so houses with new roofs will benefit the most from the
installation. If the roof needs to be replaced in less than ten years, solar may not be the best
investment for your home at this time.
The SCCSA is currently looking into racking compatibility with various roofing systems.

If you experience any difficulty with these questions, there are free online resources you can use
to calculate the feasibility of solar panels for your home.
http://solarrating.ca/

Professional Assessment
After finishing your self-assessment, you should know whether your home is suitable for solar
panels. If so, a professional assessment will give you a more accurate idea of how much
installation would cost, and how much you will ultimately save on your energy bills.
The assessment calculates how many solar panels your home can support, how much solar
energy your home can produce, how much money it will cost/save you, and offers solutions to
maximize your homes solar potential.
There are many companies offering free professional assessments. You may also be able to
arrange an assessment through the SCCSA. A solar contractor is sent to your home to assess the
feasibility of the installation and energy production. This includes assessing the access to your
property, the angle and condition of your roof, and how much energy you currently use in your
home. Determining these factors will help you decide whether solar energy is the right option
for you.

How Does a Solar Energy System Work?

Below is a list of the basic components of a solar energy system, followed by how each part
functions.

The Parts Involved

Panels (PV modules)

Inverter
Mounting equipment
Wiring and Fuse Box
Utility power metre
Monitoring software

Figure 1: Standard components of a solar power system

How They Function

Panels
The photovoltaic (PV) panel, also known as the solar panel, is the main component of the
system. Each panel has a number of smaller units on the sun-facing side (called PV cells), and
each cell has semiconductors that absorb energy from sunlight.
Inverter
The inverter converts the energy from the PV cells into a form that is useable for your home.
When the semiconductors create energy from the sunlight, they are producing direct current
(DC) electricity. The inverter is needed to transform the energy from the panels into alternating
current (AC) to be compatible with your home.
Mounting equipment
A crucial component of any solar installation, the mounting equipment locks the system in a
place where it will receive maximum sun exposure. Another feature of critical importance is the
mounting equipments ability to withstand harsh weather and hold the system securely for
many years.
Wiring and fuse box
The hardware, conduits and wiring that connect the panel system to your house.
Utility power metre
Conventional power metres are meant for consumers on the grid. The solar panel system
requires a special utility power metre so that electricity from the system can be tracked
properly. Only a qualified electrician may perform any work on power metres.
Monitoring software
Application(s) for your home computer or device that will help you monitor the power output
of your system, and identify any technical problems.

IMPORTANT: Disconnect switches

It is critical to know where the switches are to disconnect the system and how
to use them. Every member of your family should know how to turn the
system off for safety reasons. If abnormal behaviour occurs in your homes
electrical system, shut off the solar system first.

Will It Work in Our Weather?

Solar panels will generate electricity even without visible exposure to the sun. On a cloudy day,
a solar panel can produce 10 to 25 percent of its rated capacity. However, the exact amount will
vary depending on how dense the cloud coverage is.
An areas insolation rating is a measurement of how much solar energy the area receives over a
certain amount of time. There are impressive solar energy success stories from notoriously
cloudy areas such as Germany and the state of Oregon, where the insolation ratings are very
low compared to the rest of the world.
Rest assured cloudy days are not detrimental to solar panel energy production. Some clouds
can even increase solar energy output; when the sun passes over the edge of a cloud, the
sunlights energy can be focused and magnified. The most important aspects of solar panel
energy production are the placement of the panels, and the annual insolation rating which is
very accommodating at low or high ratings.

Figure 2: Graph demonstrating power production difference between sunny and cloudy weather

How to get involved

If you are interested in any of the items below:

The benefits of solar power for your home

A future for the Sunshine Coast community in the direction of clean energy
Supporting a fund to establish solar panels in community buildings

Visit a town hall meeting scheduled at these dates:

Date

Time

Location

Host

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Or visit the SCCSA website at:

http://www.thescca.ca/

References for Further Reading

i

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~dama0023/solar.html
http://energyinformative.org/benefits-of-solar-panels/
iii
http://www.alternate-power.org/solar-power-advantages-and-disadvantages/
iv
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun
v
http://energyinformative.org/benefits-of-solar-panels/
vi
http://bluewaterenergy.ca/how-do-solar-panels-increase-the-value-of-your-property/
vii
http://education.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/solar-energy/
ii